The Glacier packs represent a new series of full-featured technical hiking packs that can double as everyday working daypacks. Named after glaciers; which are the harbingers of climate change, they serve as a daily reminder to ride to work, walk to the store and unplug.

The melting Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal toes of the Columbia Ice field, located in the Canadian Rockies. The ice field is a surviving remnant of the thick ice mass that once mantled most of Western Canada’s mountains.

The first thing to say about Granite Gear's Athabaska pack is that for a 24 Litre pack its not in our usual ultralight or even lightweight category. Its part of their multi-activity pack range that focus on features rather than strict weight saving minimalist packs.

And yet the pack takes from Granite Gear's Vapor Current harness system which is very comfortable and yet supremely light, so where is the weight added? There's the zippered access, large hipbelt pockets, twin compartments and three external mesh pockets. There's also a full rain cover stowed neatly away at the base of the pack.

There are some similar packs on the market but with the Athabasca you actually get a comfortable harness system with decent hipbelt and internal frame. If you think that's over the top for a 24 Litre pack then this is probably not for you - but if you regularly carry quite heavy loads (3L water, Books, Laptop etc..) then a decent harness is probably what you've been craving.